When Cambridge United scored their third goal of the afternoon to put the outcome beyond any doubt, it was the cue for a

Cheltenham Town supporter to take down his giant flag in a huff.

The flag had been covering a large area of the empty section of the Habbin Stand, but the fan had clearly seen enough and wanted it packed away so he could begin his journey home.

He appeared to be having a debate with a couple of stewards as he did so, but what could not be questioned was how deserving the U’s were of the three points.

And it was the player who got that third goal – his second of the match and 50th for the club – who epitomised everything good about the hosts’ performance.

Luke Berry must have covered every single blade of grass as he produced a superb all-round performance, perfectly showing off all of his talents at the Cambs Glass Stadium.

Right from the first whistle he was on the front foot and putting the Cheltenham defence under pressure, with his energy and desire being replicated by all of his team-mates as the visitors were given no time whatsoever to get settled.

To go with that hunger was quality on the ball, with the midfielder linking up nicely with his colleagues and ensuring plenty of questions were asked of the Robins’ back three.

You want more? Well Berry delivered that as well, registering a couple of goals as he racked up his half-century in an amber and black shirt.

His first goal, which came 11 minutes into the second half and doubled the U’s lead, was a free header from after he had made a good run into the box to get on the end of Greg Taylor’s cross.

It came at a crucial time as the Robins, under the guidance of former United boss Gary Johnson, were just threatening to get back into the contest having started the second half brightly.

And his second effort came from an angled drive on the edge of the area after being found by a nice pass from Max Clark.

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Berry was still giving absolutely everything in added time as he chased down a seemingly lost cause and forced a mistake from Cheltenham captain Aaron Downes.

That was his last involvement as United manager Shaun Derry handed him the opportunity to soak up a standing ovation from the crowd by substituting him.

It really was as close to the perfect midfield performance as you could get, so no wonder Derry was singing his praises at the final whistle.

“There are moments in the game where you’ve got to take advantage and I think getting that second goal was a key moment for us,” said Derry.

“They’d just started putting us under some pressure and we asked the lads to be ruthless.

“It was a fantastic header from Luke Berry and he’s not just a big player for us but he’s also a big player for the league.

“He scores goals every single season and we’re delighted that he’s playing for Cambridge United. He’s a lovely kid as well, a top, top man, so full credit to him.

“He gives us energy, he gives us quality, he gives us a goal threat. He’s a reliable character as well, so he ticks a lot of boxes.”

While Berry’s display and milestone-reaching moment earned him the lion’s share of the plaudits, it would be wrong to think the victory was all down to one man.

Everywhere you looked there were players putting in good shifts, whether it be at the back keeping the strikers quiet, in midfield winning tackles and keeping hold of possession or in the final third creating chances.

Two players who could easily have gone under the radar but deserved huge credit were Brad Halliday and Taylor.

Both full-backs got up and down the flanks with real gusto, doing their defensive duties well and also adding another dimension to the team’s attacking play.

And with Clark producing the goods with a really combative display and Uche Ikpeazu, who started the ball rolling with his seventh-minute deflected strike, giving the defence nightmares, Cheltenham never really stood a chance.

They did muster a consolation goal five minutes from time when Billy Waters popped up to convert Easah Suliman’s cross from close range, but that proved to be the only negative for United and it was a small one at that.

It was the U’s first home league win since October 1 following some excellent away showings. With Berry and the rest of the players in this kind of form, there should be plenty more to come.